Why is a Transit Plan Important?

Over several decades, the Triangle has been one of the fastest-growing metropolitan regions in the United States, and this growth remains strong. Each day, 20 new residents call Durham and Orange County home, while Wake County adds over 60 new residents daily. This growth brings challenges and opportunities for how both communities develop and how people get around.

This growth helps bring prosperity to the region, but it also brings transportation challenges. Even with billions of dollars in planned highway and transit investments over the next 25 years, traffic congestion is expected to get worse and travel times will continue to increase. These transportation challenges make it difficult for the local governments to direct this incoming growth in a focused, sustainable, and responsible manner.

Transportation planning plays a fundamental role in a state, region, or community’s vision for its future. It includes a comprehensive consideration of possible strategies; an evaluation process that encompasses diverse viewpoints; the collaborative participation of relevant transportation-related agencies and organizations; and open, timely, and meaningful public involvement.

History of Transit Planning in Orange County

In 2012, the Board of Orange County Commissioners along with the Durham-Chapel Hill Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) and GoTriangle adopted the County’s first comprehensive Transit Plan that allocated a newly adopted Article 43 Half-Cent Sales Tax dedicated to funding public transportation improvements in Orange County. That plan included investments in new and expanded bus service and new capital infrastructure projects such as the Chapel Hill North-South Bus Rapid Transit Project, the Hillsborough Train Station, and the Durham-Orange Light Rail Project intended to connect employment, education, and health care centers in Durham and Chapel Hill. The Orange County Transit Plan was last updated in 2017 to further accommodate the Durham-Orange Light Rail Project. 

In March 2019, the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project was discontinued. This project was central to the Transit Plan. It served as the Plan’s primary investment, a critical partnership between Durham and Orange counties, and a significant piece of transit infrastructure around which transit services and growth strategies were planned. In response to the discontinuation of the light rail project, the Orange County Transit Team began the process of creating a framework to update the Transit Plan by identifying and prioritizing new investments, funding service improvements, and improving the resiliency of the network of transit services. 

Transit Plan Goals

The 2012 Transit Plan and the 2017 update were supported by representatives from Orange County, the Towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), and GoTriangle, with the primary goal of improving transit options throughout the county and making stronger connections with neighbors in the Triangle Region.

Goals of the 2012 and 2017 Plans include:

• Improving overall mobility and transportation options
• Providing geographic equity
• Supporting improved capital facilities
• Encouraging transit‐supportive land use
• Providing positive impacts on air quality

These goals will be revisited and updated as part of the 2020 Orange County Transit Plan update.

How are Projects in the Transit Plan Funded?

There are four dedicated revenue streams used to fund the local share of projects and services that will be in this Plan, referred to as Tax District Revenues. These revenues are collected in both Durham and Orange Counties; the revenues governed by this Plan are those collected in Orange County. These four dedicated Tax District Revenue streams are as follows:

• Article 43: Half‐Cent Sales and Use Tax
• Article 50: Five‐Percent Vehicle Rental Tax
• Article 51: Three‐Dollar increase to GoTriangle Regional Vehicle Registration Fee
• Article 52: Seven‐Dollar County Vehicle Registration Fee

Many of the projects and services in the transit plan are funded through a combination of Tax District Revenues and other funds including farebox revenues, state funds, and federal funds. Using these various funding sources, the transit plan functions to help equitably meet the transportation needs and goals of Orange County.